Police losing battle to get drivers to stop texting

WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — State police in Chattanooga, Tennessee, have been known to patrol in a tractor-trailer so they can sit up high and spot drivers texting behind the wheel.

In Bethesda, Maryland, a police officer disguised himself as a homeless man, stood near a busy intersection and radioed ahead to officers down the road about texting drivers. In two hours last October, police gave out 56 tickets.

A "text stop" notification on a sign for a service area on the New York State Thruway was part of a state crackdown on texting in 2013. Associated Press

And in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, south of Boston, an officer regularly tools around town on his bicycle, pedals up to drivers at stoplights and hands them $105 tickets.

Texting while driving in the U.S. is not just a dangerous habit, but also an infuriatingly widespread one, practiced both brazenly and surreptitiously by so many motorists that police are being forced to get creative — and still can’t seem to make much headway.

“It’s everyone, kids, older people — everyone. When I stop someone, they say, ‘You’re right. I know it’s dangerous, but I heard my phone go off and I had to look at it,'” said West Bridgewater Officer Matthew Monteiro.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates nearly 3,500 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers in the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rico in 2015, up from almost 3,200 in 2014. The number of deaths in which cellphones were the distraction rose from 406 in 2014 to 476 in 2015.

But many safety advocates say crashes involving cellphones are vastly underreported because police are forced to rely on what they are told by drivers, many of whom aren’t going to admit they were using their phones.

“You don’t have a Breathalyzer or a blood test to see if they are using their phones,” said Deborah Hersman, president and chief executive of the National Safety Council and former chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board. “Certainly, law enforcement can ask people, ‘Can I see your phone?’ but people can refuse, so they then have to get a search warrant.”

Forty-six states have laws against texting while driving that typically also ban sending or reading email, using apps or engaging in other internet activity. Fourteen states bar drivers from using hand-held cellphones for any activity, including talking.

While efforts to discourage texting have increased in recent years, the consensus among police, safety advocates and drivers is that the problem is only getting worse.

In New York, texting tickets soared from about 9,000 in 2011 to nearly 85,000 in 2015. In Massachusetts, they rocketed from about 1,100 to a little over 6,100 over the same period. In California, the number of people found guilty of texting while driving climbed from under 3,000 in 2009 to over 31,000 in 2015.

Everywhere they look, police see drivers staring at their phones.

“We did see one driver who had two phones going at one time — one in his left hand and one in his right hand, with his wrist on the steering wheel,” said Lt. Paul Watts, a Virginia state trooper.

West Bridgewater Police Chief Victor Flaherty said: “We’ve seen cars in trees. We’ve had two houses hit within three weeks. We had a car off the road 100 yards before it hit a parking lot.”

Enforcement is difficult, in part because it’s hard to prove texting violations in states that allow drivers to talk on hand-held cellphones.

“For the normal officer, in a car, it’s very difficult to tell if someone is texting or just using their phone in another way,” Flaherty said.

In Florida, texting is a secondary offense, meaning that even if police spot drivers texting, they can’t be stopped unless the officer sees another violation, such as speeding. Police gave out just 1,359 citations for texting in 2015.

Drivers have also become sneakier. Instead of resting their phones against the steering wheel, they hold them down low to make it more difficult for police to see what’s going on.

“Some people call it the red-light prayer because their heads are bowed and they are looking down at their laps with a nice blue glow coming up in their face,” said Chris Cochran, a spokesman for the California Office of Traffic Safety.

In New York, some lawmakers proposed equipping police with a device called the Textalyzer. An officer investigating a crash could use it to check the driver’s phone for any activity before the wreck. The idea ran into legal objections and has not been put to a vote.

Fines for first offenses range from $20 to $500. In some states, such as New York, drivers caught texting also get points on their driving record, which can lead to higher insurance rates.

Some states have increased the penalties, including Louisiana, which raised its fine for first-time offenders from $175 to up to $500. But safety advocates have focused more on pushing for better enforcement, said Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Surveys show that most drivers know the dangers of using their phones while driving but that many do it anyway.

Jay Winsten, director of the Center for Health Communication at Harvard’s School of Public Health, is working on a major media campaign against distracted driving. The center spearheaded the successful 1980s campaign that promoted the use of designated drivers to combat drunken driving.

In addition to warning drivers not to use their phones, the new campaign will promote defensive driving, urging motorists to watch out for distracted drivers.

“We’re trying to get the attention of people by not talking to them as the villain, but rather as the other guy,” Winsten said.

In the meantime, Officer Monteiro can’t pedal his bike fast enough to get to all the drivers he sees texting. One day, he caught a teenager playing Pokemon Go on his phone while driving. Another time, he caught a woman watching YouTube videos. Both got slapped with $105 tickets. The teenager also faces a 60-day suspension of his license.

Vinny Fiasconaro, 30, got a warning after Monteiro saw him using the calculator on his phone at a stop sign. Fiasconaro shook his head sheepishly.

“I was in the wrong,” he said. “You should be focusing on the road. You should pay attention.”

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lost sheep

The cops are so far behind here. 20 YEARS ago California started using video camcorders on HIGH ZOOM to see all the way down the street at the drivers coming. They could see you smoking weed, drinking beer, or whatever before you had a prayer of seeing them. When texting came along they easily would catch that too. Make sure to hit record and they got evidence for a trial.

MKREDDY

Really ? I moved from Ca three years ago and never heard of the HZ camera. If anything,people bemoaned the lack of ways to enforce the no text law.

lost sheep

Huh maybe they quit doing it I dunno. Some rich yuppie probably sued the police or whatever

Ellen Porter

so my brother-in- law, a CA cop, must have missed the message

lost sheep

I dunno was along time maybe they quit doing it? I never said the state of California issued a standing directive for all Leo’s to break out the video cameras.

KennebunkportPatriot

Here is a solution:

Confiscate and crush cars where texting is proven by examining phone records, which indicate time, location and content of text message sent at time police witnesses the act.

Zero tolerance. It tw its need to tw eet while driving, they are tw ats.

Arealmainer1

Make this a criminal offense like OUI. Texting is just as dangerous as OUI. Arrest people and take them to jail. Make the fine a mandatory $1000.00 and a 90 day loss of license, which may not be reduced by a court.

Pete2

If only we did that for OUIs…

judith.dunton

I usually gain in the span of 6000-8000 dollars /month from freelancing at home. Everyone eager to work basic freelance task for 2-5 hours every day from your living room and make solid checks in the same time… Test this invitation UR1.CA/pm79t

UserInterface

I’ve seen the NY signs and find them far preferable to what I’ve seen on digital signs on I-295 in Maine this summer: “U text, U Pay.”
The focus in the NY signs is on safety. Our signs focus on the punishment. In any case the “U” disturbs me but I suppose it is intended for a “texting” audience.

Common Sense

Cellphone use is an addiction! Have you ever watch people use them,they cradle it like a baby,they have to be told not to use them in church and all other social public functions and yes people use them at funerals! Cellphone industry is hiding facts about addiction and health risk. Just like the tobacco industry did for many many years! Sound familiar?? Wait got to got check my texts….Sad Sad..

bball11

Stiffer fines and penalties will only come to fruition after more deaths, just like DWI’s back in the 70’s. There definitely needs to be mandatory fine and loss of license to start. Go from there.

sometimesmakessense

I agree with others that this needs to be a criminal offense. Either that or increase the fines significantly….I mean a lot! I have a short 4 mile commute to work and each day I see multiple people texting, or using their phones in a manner other than a phone call. It’s become a public safety crisis in my opinion. I yell “get off your phone” at least once a day to these inconsiderate morons. Just look for the slightly downward tilted head.

yathink2011

A phone call is actually worse than texting because you lose the ability to think about two completely different things at the same time. Left Lane, 95, doing 45 miles per hours, deep into conversation. It happens all the time. Police should not be exempt. Laptops are not made for using while driving.

Bowdoin

This practice is a killer, jail and license suspension is warranted

Clubba_Lang

I wait until I see someone behind me texting then I give a good brake check. Wakes them up quick.

Moderate Conservative

I love doing that.

reed1v

If they got a go pro cam recording you doing that, that is a felony offense. Bye bye insurance, hello big time law suit.

axion56

I’ve talked to out of state visitors while they were in Maine and they were shocked that hand held cell phone use is allowed here just for talking . So many people take advantage of this to text . Time for laws to change in ME !
Then again , many yrs ago I remember seeing people read books while driving on the crazy Rt 128 traffic around Boston , I guess there will always be some sort of fools behind wheels !!

yathink2011

The Legislature doesn’t have the courage in Maine to change the law, because they are on the take from the Cell Phone Lobbyists. It’s how Government works.

reed1v

Well it is hard to write a reply while driving. The grandkids’ movie in the back seat makes some much noise, can not concentrate on texting.

charlie s

If someone gets a ticket for texting behind the wheel maybe their insurance rate should go up significantly. After a second ticket require an SR22.

If we can place a device in a car that someone has to blow into for the car to start we should be able to place a device that prevents the car from moving if the text function is active on someone’s phone.

OpTIM1stic

Perhaps we should design smart phones to disable certain features (i.e. Texting) when moving in a car? I would think they should be able to detect that they are on a road and the speed of travel using the GPS feature. Of course. More “smarts” would be needed to allow passengers to use all features on their phones.

Mark Gravel

Instead of having these nanny laws that are hard and costly to enforce, simply start charging people with existing crimes, like involuntary manslaughter or reckless engagement if they cause an accident while texting.

Michael Bonehead

texting and the internet need to be blocked on all phones by the phone companies its dangerous when driving you got kids texting at school playing on the internet going into chat rooms people texting at work playing on the internet people walking around like zombies texting the people they are walking with its useless and dangerous both texting and internet need to be blocked